Chapter 9

After David showed her where she and her son would be sleeping, he took her on a tour of the house. "This is a safe house? Sure doesn't look like one. Looks like a rock star lives here."

"That's because a rock star does live here. This is my house."

"Really? Swank pad you've got here. I like it."

As David opened his mouth to respond, there was a knock on the door followed by, "HELLO? ANYONE HERE?"

David looked over the banister to the staircase. "Yeah, Danny, we're up here. I was just showing her around. What's up?"

"I've got bad news, bro, and I think she needs to be sitting down to hear it."

Irian looked at David. He nodded to Dan, who came up the stairs to where her room was located. She sat on the bed as she waited for Dan to break the news to her. "Your son is secure, but he's not with me, Irian. He's going to your parent's house in Tennessee. Social Services thought you were dead and they wouldn't let me leave the school with him, no matter what kind of documentation I provided."

Irian's heart dropped. By God, she would not cry, damn it! Her baby boy was safe, that's all that mattered. She looked down at her hands and they were shaking. She took a deep breath. "Can I call my parents and let them know I'm not dead, at least?" Her voice was soft, but steady.

David and Dan both looked at each other. "I don't see why not", David said.

"People want her dead, David. Really think her calling her parents is a good idea?"

"Dan, she's been through enough today. Let her call her parents."

Dan seemed to think about it for a sec. Irian tried to read his face, but she couldn't. "Ok, fine. It can't hurt. They'll at least know that she's alive and well, not burnt to ashes." He dug in his pocket and grabbed a cell phone. "This phone is untraceable. Use it."

Irian nodded and took the phone in her shaking hands. She tried three times to dial the number, and finally got it without having to ask one of the guys to do if for her. Brownie Points for me, she thought as she waited on her mother or father to answer the phone.

"Hello?" said the voice of an elderly man.

"Daddy, It's Irian."

"Irian, we were told you were dead. Is that not true?"

"No, Daddy, it's not. I'm perfectly alive and well. But, I'm going to have to ask you to do something for me, ok. I need you to take Malachai for me for a while, just like if I were dead. I'll be there to take him as soon as I can. Okay, daddy?"

"Take Malachai? Why?"

"Daddy, it appears that I'm in some danger right now. I wish I could tell you more, but I can't I don't even know everything that's going on. I just know that it's not safe for him to be around me. Please, daddy, take him and take care of him."

"Ok, sweetheart, your mother and I will take Malachai and take care of him for you until this whole mess wears off."

"Thank you, Daddy. Would you tell him that I love him and that I'm sorry I couldn't tell him myself... and that I'm sorry for yelling at him this morning."

"Will do, sweetheart. We love you, honey."

"I love you all too, Daddy. I'll call again when I can." She hung up. If that wasn't the single hardest thing she'd ever had to do, it was certainly close to it. She swallowed. "Can I be alone for a minute, please?" She was choking on her tears and she didn't want to cry in front of David and Dan.

The men obliged her and left the room, shutting the door quietly behind them. Once they were gone, she rolled onto her side and let the tears come. She didn't even get to tell her son good bye of that she loved him. This would break any mother's heart, but it especially broke hers. She'd been taking care of Malachai on her own for five years now. His father didn't give a shit, so she had to be mommy and daddy. It killed her sometimes to do it, but she had to. There wasn't that father figure for him to latch on to and imitate. The more she thought about it, the more she sobbed silently. There wasn't a pain medication in the world that would get rid of this pain, no matter how hard people tried.

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David showed Dan out. "Thanks for coming by man and telling her that. I don't know if I could have done it."

"Not a problem, dude. I hated to have to do it, but I have kids too, so I can empathize."

"Yeah, one of the few times I'm glad I'm not a father at the moment." They shook hands and David shut the door. He needed to eat something and so did she. But first, he wanted to check on her and see how she was doing. He knocked softly on the door. He heard her sniffle, but no reply. "Irian, it's David. Can I come in?"

"Yeah, sure." She sounded so weak. He hated hearing that weakness in her voice. He walked into the room and found her lying in the fetal positions, clutching a pillow and tears running down her face. He sat down on the edge of the bed, and she looked up at him. "My baby thinks I'm dead, David. I didn't even get to tell him I love him." She moved to lay her head on his thigh and she sobbed. All he could do was let her cry and try to comfort her, but how to you comfort someone who just had to ask her parents to take care of her son because she couldn't?